Machine for boxing toothpicks.



G. G. FREEMAN. MAUHINE FoR'BoxING TooTHPIoKs.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C. C. FREEMAN. MACHINE FOR BOXING- TOOTHPIOKS.

ArPLIoATIoN FILED 21:13.23, 1907.

906,214. Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

unirse STATES PATENT cimien- CHARLES c. FREEMAN, or DIXF'IELD, MAINE.

MACEINE FOR BOXING 'EOOITEPIQM Sp'eeioation of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908*.

nomination nica' February 2s, i907. serial No.' etais,b

Serial No. 357, 183, to which reference maybe had, if desired.

My present invention relates especially to an improvement in the means for.` measuring the number of tooth picks to be contained in the box or other receptacle and t0 the means ldirectly employed for placing the tooth picks in the box.

' The invention will befully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and' the novel features are pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of the specification. c

Referring to the drawingsf-"Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in .section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,'and also show; ing in elevation the operating means for the bottom receptacle for the purpose of `with the rotating member. Fig. 3 is a sec` tion on line 3-3 of- Fig. 2. Fig. 4 Ais a side elevation of the measuring device showing the leaves of the bttom receptacle open to discharge the picks into the box. Fig. 5 isa detail of the` guard. i l Y Referring now to the dra and -more particularly to Fig. 1,-there is indicated at A the frame work ofthe machine; at B the chute down which the picks come from. the tumbling machine; 'and at C is shown the dis. tributing wheel by means of which the picks are s read out and deposited in the curtaine rece tacle D from which they-fall into the chute The picks slide down the chute E into the upper evening receptacle F where they-are all caused by means of the follower G to lie parallel and adjacent to each other Without projecting one beyond another. At

- .H is indicated the lower evening receptacle especially to' previous application filed February 12, 1907;

illus? trating the opening mechanism in cormectioni into which the upper evening receptacle, F dumps.

The parts thus far described are the saluom construction and operation as those def scribedin my application hereinbefore ref ferred to, and forni impart of the present in vention, except as the elements enter inte cdmbination with the parte which here..F inafter be described.

The lower evening receptacle H dumps into a chute 11 which is of a width sliitly in excess of the' length of the pick. this c hute the picks lie crosswise instead of lengthwise, as was the case with regard to the chute E previously referred to. At the bottom of the Said; chute 11- is the measuring wheel 12provided about its. periphery with pockets. 13- of any desired sire.l The pockets 13 are preferably in groups, each group being capable of containing only the number of icks which it is, desired to place in a box.

n the drawing, there are shown two. groups of pockets, in each group of which there are fourl pockets, the said fourpockets together having a capacity equal to that of the box 15. lAbout the said measuring wheel 12 is placed a casing 16 which does not permit the pockets to discharge their. picks until the desired point in the rotation of the Wheel is reached. l

In order that each pocket 1 3 shall be exactly full and that no picks shall :be jammed between the casing and the measuring wheel,

I provide a knurled wheel 17v mounted on a shaft 18 and driven by a belt 19 from the maindriving shaft 2Q, upon which the mea# uring wheel 12 is mounts The said knul-led wheel 17 has a somewhat greater surface speed than the surface speed of the measure ing wheel 12 and rotates in the direction indl'- cated b the arrow in Fig.. 2, so that any picks w 'ch might otherwise be jammed tween the said casing and the said measuring wheel are thrown back from the point of gn.-

ga ement betweenthe casing 16 and the peri ery ofthe measuring wheel 12. As seen.

in Fig. 3, the said kuurled Wheel is provided with a number of grooves 21 for the rece 151011 of guards or Engg-s, so that there ma no chance of pie getting caught knurled wheel or being thrown away from it into the other parts of the mechanisnn ln the drawings, I have shown these guards for the'knurle wheel in the form of an guard attached to the frame of the In e and a lower guard attached to the Ycasing ef the measuring wheel. 1 The upper guard consists of three de ending fingers `.22, see especially Figs. 2 an 5, which are bent backwardslightly .to conform 'to the portion of the 5 cove 21 with which they coperate. The ower guard consists of three similar ngers 23 fastened to the casing 16 and nearly meeting the ends of the fingers 22 just referred to. It will be seen that by this arrangement of bilit of any of the picks being carried around the urled wheel or being carried into the crevice between the measuring wheel 12 .and -the cas' 16. The upper guard is' adjustable slightly with relation to the lower guard by means of a pair of slots 24 in the -plate 25 to which the fingers 22 are soldered. These 'slots are engage by screws 251 by means of which the guard is attached to the frame of this part lof the machine.

Attached to the plate 25, just referred to, is a U-shapedprojecting piece 26, the bottom of which engages thepicks in the chute 11 L and' keeps them from assing into the pock- 25 ets in the meas w eel in too great uantities which woul tend to cause dis ace-- ment of the picks from their horizonta position or might disturb their parallelism.

vHaving now described the means by which the ockets 13 in the measuring wheel 12 are fille the mechanism by means of which the picks are transferred from the lpockets to the ox will now be described. t the bottom of the casing 16 is an opening 27 through which the picks in the pockets 13 drop when the pocket 13 comes in re tration with the said opemng 27. A V-s aped rece `tacle, substantially similar to the receptacle lg heretofore referred to, receives the picks as they fall from the pockets 13. This V-shaped receptacle 1s formed by two slanting'sides or leaves 29 'and 30 pivoted at 31 and 32. to the casing 16 and a pair of V-sha ed ends 33- attached to the cas' 16. aid V-shaped ends 33 .are fixed'w e the leaves 29 and 30 are movable about the said pivots 31 and32 by means of the lever arms 35 and 36 and the intermediate link 37. A spring 38 attached to any suitable fixed point tends to maintain the parts in the 'closed position. The parts in their open ositi in are shown in Fig. 4.

The parts t us described are operated by means of one or more projections on the surface of a wheel 34 on the shaft 20. AIn the drawings, I have shown these projections as screws 39,. that being a convenient form of construction. The said screws 39 are so p placed on the wheel'34 that one of them will contact with the upper end of the arm 36 to open the receptacle just as soon as the last pscket 13 of one of the groups of pockets has charged its picks into the said receptacle. The otherof the said pro'ections 39 performs y the corresponding opera ion to discharge the 65." picks which the other group of pockets has the upper and lower guards, there is no possievrpptied into the recejtacle. This operation be clearly seen in ig. 4, where one ofthe projections 39 is in contact with the-arm 36 and the receptacle is opened to substantially the full extent.

What I claim is:

1. In a boxing machine, a rotating member having pockets therein in groups to receive and transfer the material to be boxed, means` for delivering the material to said ockets, a receptacle into which the material 1s discharged from said pockets after a partial rotation of said rotating member, said receptacle having a hinged portion which may be opened to discharge the contents thereof, and mechanism controlled by the movement of said rotating member, whereby said hinged portion is opened after all the pockets in-.a single group have discharged their contents into said receptacle.

` 2. In a machine for boxing tooth picks, a rotating member having peripheral pockets therein in groups, said pockets extending arallel with the axis of said rotating memer, means for delivering tooth picks to said pockets so that they shall lie in said pockets parallel to each other and parallel to the axis of said rotating member, means for retaining the tooth picks in said pockets during a partial rotation of said rotating member, a re- -ceptacle into which each pocket discharges at a certain point in the rotation of said member,'said receptaclehaving a hinged portion which may be opened to discharge the contents thereof, mechanism connected with said hinged portion for opening the same, and mechanism carried by said rotating member which actuates said opening mechanism after all the pockets in one group have moved past said discharge receptacle.

3. In a machine for boxing tooth picks, a rotatingmember having peripheral pockets therein in groups, said pockets extending arallel with the axis of said rotating memer, means for delivering' tooth picks to said pockets so that'they shall lie in said ockets parallel to each other and parallel to t e axis of said rotating member, meancs for retaining the tooth picks in said pockets during apartial rotation of said rotating member, a receptacle into which each pocket discharges at a certain point in the rotation of said member, said receptacle having one or more pivoted sides which may be`o cned to discharge the contents thereof, mechanism connected with said pivoted sides for opening and closing the same and mechanism carried by said j rotating member whichl actuates said opening mechanismat certain periods in the rof tation of said rotatingmember after all the 125 psckets in a single group have assed and l' charged their contents into said receptac e. 4. In a machine for boxing tooth picks, a

rotating' member having parallel pockets 130 ger in sai therein in groups to receive and transfer the tooth (picks, means for delivering tooth picks to sai parallel to each other, a receptacle into which the y'picks are discharged from said pockets after a partial rotation of said rotating member,said receptacle having vone or more piv. oted sides whlchunaybe opened to discharge the contents 'thereof and mechanism controlled by the movement of said rotating `member whereby the pivoted sides of said discharge receptacle may be opened after all the pockets in a single group have discharged their contents into said receptacle.

5. In a machine for boxing tooth picks, the combination of a receptacle to contain a supply of tooth picks a rotating vmember having one or more pockets therein to receive and transfer picks from the supply in said receptacle afrotating clearing wheel coperating therewith and having an annular groove in its periphery and a stationary clearing iingroove.

6. In a machine for boxing tooth picks, the combination with a receptacle containing a supply'of picks, of a rotating member having one or more pockets therein to receiveand transfer a lpredetermined number of. picks from said supply in said receptacle, a coperating clearing member and a xed U-shaped guard for checking the ilow of picks passing in the receptacle to the pockets of the moving member.

' 7. In a machine for boxing tooth picks, a

rotating member having a plurality of pockpockets so that they lshall lie therein ets therein to receive and transfer a predetermined number of picks, meanslfor supplying tooth picks to the pockets in said rotatin member in parallel relation to each other an parallel with the axis of said rotating member, a coperating clearer to remove the surplus picks from each pocket, a receptacle into Wllic pockets of said rotating transfer member and mechanism controlled by said rotating trans- 'fer member whereby the said receptacle is the picks) are discharged from the pockets of the said rotatingmember are discharged and means controlled by said rotating member to open the said receptacle after all the pocketsln a serie have discharged their contents into said re eptacle.

In testimonywhereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

l v CHARLES o: FREEMAN.

Witnesses:

WM. A. MAcLEoD, ALICE MORRISON.' 

